Three former state leaders deliver speeches on global leadership at Schwarzman College

2017-12-13

On December 5th, the former President of the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Boris Tadic; the former President of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Rosen Plevneliev; and the former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Zlatko Lagumdzija presented their insights on global leadership to an audience of Tsinghua University students in Schwarzman College. The event, which was moderated by the Executive Dean of the Schwarzman College Professor David Pan, covered topics from geopolitics to economics, and from education to the future implications of technological development.

H.E. Boris Tadic delivered the first set of remarks regarding the Belt and Road Initiative. “The One Belt and One Road Initiative is a new political philosophy”, explained the former President of the Republic of Serbia, emphasizing that the initiative’s impact will be felt not only in Asia, but across the entire world. Offering praise for the new trade routes and cultural exchanges that will facilitate global communication, former President Tadic reminded the audience that the next generation of global leaders must understand this important Chinese initiative

H.E. Rosen Plevneliev then shared his rich professional and personal experiences, illustrating the critical importance of planning and education to achieving long-term goals. The former President of Bulgaria commended China’s commitment to its long-term planning. Along the path towards long-term vision, the speaker noted, China has achieved important milestones such as becoming a world leader in addressing climate change and raising millions of Chinese citizens out of poverty. Former President Plevneliev emphasized a global need for leaders who can make sustainable decisions for the benefit of society and reminded students that education is indispensable in nurturing such leaders.

H.E. Zlatko Lagumdzija delivered the thir presentation of the event, pointing out the challenges and opportunities associated with rapid technological development. “The speed of [technical] change is huge,” noted the former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, “[it] is too important to be left only to engineers”. He emphasized that the development of artificial intelligence will raise complex questions and it will require multi-faceted knowledge to understand its full scope of effects. The speaker, who has also taught at universities, reminded students that continuous learning is the only way to keep up with the technical progress that one day will fundamentally alter their lives.

The session concluded with a further question and answer period, as well as photo sessions with the students and faculty.